SERAP charges Tinubu to open probe on $5bn Abacha loot

Port Harcourt -- The SocioEconomic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has charged President Bola Tinubu to enforce the judgement of the Abuja Federal High Court, which ordered all the successive Nigerian presidents, from 1999 to 2023, to account for the $5 billion recovered by the government from the illegal accounts of late Head of State, Gen.

Sani Abacha, otherwise known as the Abacha loot.

The recovered funds were allegedly hidden by the former military leader in several countries, including Switzerland, United States, United Kingdom, France and Germany.

The recovered loot have reportedly been re-looted by government officials, as the funds have, to date, not been applied to any tangible projects or programmes of the government.

Meanwhile, SERAP has urged President Tinubu, in the spirit of suspending the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Dr Betta Edu, as part of efforts at combating corruption, to also beam his search light on the recovered Abacha loots.

SERAP, in its official X handle, applauded the president for suspending the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, urging him to direct the Attorney General of the Federation to enforce the court judgement on Abacha loot.

SERAP said: "We welcome the prompt action by President Tinubu to probe the allegations of diversion of public funds against the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs.

"We urge him to show the same political will to direct the Attorney General to immediately enforce the judgment by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, ordering the governments of former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari to account for the spending of $5 billion Abacha loot."